Tagged: Ed Brubaker

The Point Radio: Steven Moffat Plunges Ahead On DOCTOR WHO

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This past weekend, DOCTOR WHO got off to an amazing start. Now we sit down with Show Runner Steven Moffat to talk about the thrill ride that lies ahead over the next few weeks. Plus more with NBC’s GUYS WITH KIDS, and Ellen Barkin talks about censorship and her new series, THE NEW NORMAL. Oh yeah – like the BBC’s SHERLOCK? Are you ready for a manga version?

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Don’t miss a minute of pop culture news – The Point Radio  – 24 hours a day of pop culture fun for FREE. GO HERE and LISTEN FREE on any computer or on any mobile device with the Tune In Radio app - and follow us on Twitter @ThePointRadio.

The Point Radio: Ellen Barkin Defends THE NEW NORMAL

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We preview two new comedies from NBC – starting with Jimmy Fallon‘s GUYS WITH KIDS, featuring Anthony Anderson who is loving his return to comedy from LAW AND ORDER and THE SHIELD. Then there’s THE NEW NORMAL, a show that has already made headlines with one NBC affiliate refusing to carry it. Series regular Ellen Barkin has made her position clear on social media, but we gave her a little more space than 140 characters to explain why this show is important to us all. Plus more trouble with The Turtles reboot and DC’s ZERO issues look to be big, really big.

Don’t forget to subscribe to our new YouTube Channel!

Don’t miss a minute of pop culture news – The Point Radio  – 24 hours a day of pop culture fun for FREE. GO HERE and LISTEN FREE on any computer or on any mobile device with the Tune In Radio app – and follow us on Twitter @ThePointRadio.

The Point Radio: Ashley Greene Beyond TWILIGHT

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Fresh from TWILIGHT:BREAKING DAWN, Ashley Greene has stepped into a new type of role in THE APPARITION, but she tells us that she is determined NOT to be the usual “scream queen”. We’ve got more with Greg Daniels from THE OFFICE and the answer to the question everyone wants to know, is Steve Carrel coming back one more time – and fans are in mourning as Ed Brubaker says goodbye to Marvel.

Don’t forget to subscribe to our new YouTube Channel!

Don’t miss a minute of pop culture news – The Point Radio  – 24 hours a day of pop culture fun for FREE. GO HERE and LISTEN FREE on any computer or on any mobile device with the Tune In Radio app – and follow us on Twitter @ThePointRadio.

SDCC 2012: Eisner Award Winners 2012

An updated and corrected list — congrats to all the winners.

Best Short Story
“The Seventh,” by Darwyn Cooke, in Richard Stark’s Parker: The Martini Edition(IDW)

Best Single Issue (or One-Shot)
Daredevil #7, by Mark Waid, Paolo Rivera, and Joe Rivera (Marvel)

Best Continuing Series
Daredevil, by Mark Waid, Marcos Martin, Paolo Rivera, and Joe Rivera (Marvel)

Best Limited Series
Criminal: The Last of the Innocent, by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips (Marvel Icon)

Best Publication for Early Readers (up to age 7)
Dragon Puncher Island, by James Kochalka (Top Shelf)

Best Publication for Kids (ages 8–12)
Snarked, by Roger Langridge (kaboom!)

Best Publication for Young Adults (Ages 12–17)
Anya’s Ghost, by Vera Brosgol (First Second)

Best Anthology
Dark Horse Presents, edited by Mike Richardson (Dark Horse)

Best Humor Publication
Milk & Cheese: Dairy Products Gone Bad, by Evan Dorkin (Dark Horse Books)

Best Digital Comic
Battlepug, by Mike Norton, www.battlepug.com

Best Reality-Based Work
Green River Killer: A True Detective Story, by Jeff Jensen and Jonathan Case (Dark Horse Books)

Best Graphic Album – New
Jim Hensons Tale of Sand, adapted by Ramón K. Pérez (Archaia)

Best Graphic Album – Reprint
Richard Stark’s Parker: The Martini Edition, by Darwyn Cooke (IDW)

Best Archival Collection/Project – Comic Strips
Walt Disney’s Mickey Mouse vols. 1-2, by Floyd Gottfredson, edited by David Gerstein and Gary Groth (Fantagraphics)

Best Archival Collection/Project – Comic Books
Walt Simonson’s The Mighty Thor Artist’s Edition (IDW)

Best U.S. Edition of International Material
The Manara Library, vol. 1: Indian Summer and Other Stories, by Milo Manara with Hugo Pratt (Dark Horse Books)

Best U.S. Edition of International Material – Asia
Onward Towards Our Noble Deaths, by Shigeru Mizuki (Drawn & Quarterly)

Best Writer
Mark Waid, Irredeemable, Incorruptible (BOOM!); Daredevil (Marvel)

Best Writer/Artist
Craig Thompson, Habibi (Pantheon)

Best Penciller/Inker or Penciller/Inker Team
Ramón K. Pérez, Jim Henson’s Tale of Sand (Archaia)

Best Cover Artist
Francesco Francavilla, Black Panther (Marvel); Lone Ranger, Lone Ranger/Zorro, Dark Shadows, Warlord of Mars (Dynamite); Archie Meets
Kiss (Archie)

Best Coloring
Laura Allred, iZombie (Vertigo/DC); Madman All-New Giant-Size Super-Ginchy Special (Image)

Best Lettering
Stan Sakai, Usagi Yojimbo (Dark Horse)

Best Comics-Related Journalism
The Comics Reporter, produced by Tom Spurgeon, www.comicsreporter.com

Best Educational/Academic Work (tie)
Cartooning: Philosophy & Practice, by Ivan Brunetti (Yale University Press)
Hand of Fire: The Comics Art of Jack Kirby, by Charles Hatfield (University Press of Mississippi)

Best Comics-Related Book
MetaMaus, by Art Spiegelman (Pantheon)

Best Publication Design
Jim Henson’s Tale of Sand, designed by Eric Skillman (Archaia)

Hall of Fame

Judges’ Choices: Rudolf Dirks, Harry Lucey
Bill Blackbeard, Richard Corben, Katsuhiro Otomo, Gilbert Shelton

Russ Manning Promising Newcomer Award:
Tyler Crook

Bob Clampett Humanitarian Award:
Morrie Turner

Bill Finger Excellence in Comic Book Writing Award:
Frank Doyle, Steve Skeates

Will Eisner Spirit of Comics Retailer Award:
Akira Comics, Madrid, Spain – Jesus Marugan Escobar and
The Dragon, Guelph, ON, Canada – Jennifer Haines

Marvel Pulp in February

Marvel Comics has released it’s solicitation information for February 2012. Here are some pulpy highlights.

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WINTER SOLDIER #1
Written by Ed Brubaker, art by Butch Guice, cover by Lee Bermejo, variant cover by Gabrielle Dell’Otto, sketch variant by Lee Bermejo, classic artist variant by Joe Kubert.
* Winter Soldier and Black Widow are the super-spies of the Marvel U!
* Ex-Russian Sleeper Agents awaken, but under who’s control?
* Is that Dr. Doom?
32 pages, $2.99.

WINTER SOLDIER #2 
Written by Ed Brubaker, art by Butch Guice, covers by Lee Bermejo..
* Bucky and Black Widow on the hunt for men trained by the Winter Soldier himself!
* Who is trying to kill Dr. Doom?
* Also featuring – talking gorillas!
32 pages, $2.99.

CAPTAIN AMERICA & BUCKY #627
Written by Ed Brubaker and James Asmus, art by Francesco Francavilla.
* Captain America versus an army of Cap-killer androids!
* Adam II reborn…with new powers and deadlier than ever!
* Cap’s life in the hands of…the elderly former Bucky Fred Davis?!
32 pages, $2.99.

DOROTHY & THE WIZARD IN OZ #5
Written by Eric Shanower, art and cover by Skottie Young.
* The Wooden Gargoyles attack to kill!
* How can Dorothy, the Wizard, and their friends escape when even the Wizard’s bullets prove useless?
* Subterranean thrills and chills continue with hungry dragons that only Eureka the kitten can see.
* And you’ll believe a horse can fly!
32 pages, $3.99.

THE PUNISHER #8
Written by Greg Rucka, art and cover by Marco Checchetto.
* The face to face you’ve all been waiting for as ex-Hydra and AIM agents work together to bring down the Punisher.
* Frank is up against a soldier who is more like him than either of them realize.
32 pages, $2.99.

BLACK PANTHER: THE MOST DANGEROUS MAN ALIVE #529
Written by David Liss, art by Shawn Martinbrough, cover by Francesco Francavilla.
* Kingpin vs. T’Challa in this status-quo changing series finale!
* Guest-starring: Lady Bullseye! Typhoid Mary! Falcon! Luke Cage!
32 pages, $2.99.

THE TWELVE MUST HAVE #1
Written by J. Michael Straczynski, art by Chris Weston.
* Collecting The Twelve #7-8
40 pages, $3.99.

THE TWELVE #9
Written by J. Michael Straczynski, art by Chris Weston, cover by Paolo Rivera.
* The time-stranded heroes of World War ii are back!
* One member of The Twelve will fall!
* Who’s behind the myterious killings? The answer is electrifying!
32 pages, $2.99.

THE TWELVE #10
Written by J. Michael Straczynski, art by Chris Weston, cover by Paolo Rivera.
* The killer uncovered!
* What does this mean for the future of The Twelve?
32 pages, $2.99.

PUNISHERMAX #22
Written by Jason Aaron, art by Steve Dillon, cover by Dave Johnson.
* Aaron’s and Dillon’s seminal run on PunisherMAX comes to an end!
32 pages, $3.99.

Learn more at http://www.marvel.com/

Captain America’s Pulpy WWII Adventures Continue!

New Pulp Artist Francesco Francavilla (Zorro, The Black Coat) joins New Pulp Writer Ed Brubaker (Crimnal, Incognito) on Marvel Comics’ series, Captain America and Bucky starting with issue #625 in December!

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Cover Art: Francesco Francavilla

CAPTAIN AMERICA & BUCKY #625
Written by Ed Brubaker & James Asmus
Pencils & Cover by Francesco Francavilla
• The original Human Torch guest-stars as Captain America teams up with Bucky in the present day… for the first time?!
• Rising stars James Asmus and Francesco Francavilla join Eisner award winner Ed Brubaker for a rollicking adventure into the future of the star-spangled Avenger’s past!
• Brand new arc! Easy jumping on point!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$2.99

For more on Ed Brubaker, visit http://www.edbrubaker.com/
For more on Francesco Francavilla, vist http://pulpsunday.blogspot.com/
For more on Marvel Comics and Captain America, visit http://www.marvel.com/

Captain America Goes Rogue!

Though covered point-by-point by Marvel’s EIC here, faithful followers of Ed Brubaker’s amazing run in the pages of Captain America
saw a wee bit of controversy spring up and out of the pages of issue #602 recently.

For those not in the know (SPOILER ALERT) the issue in question features the current Cap, Bucky Barnes, and former Cap Sidekick, Sam Wilson (Falcon) on an undercover mission in Idaho. As they make their way through the state that’s truly ‘More Than Just Potatoes‘, they happen to come across a group of protestors. Bucky makes a comment that the rally appears to be an “Anti-Tax thing”, and Sam remarks that he (“A black man from Harlem”) wouldn’t fit it with “a bunch of angry white folks.” And, due largely to a tight deadline, and slight error on the letterer’s part… the rally signs declared things like “Tea Bag Libs Before They Tea Bag You!” and “Stop the Socialists!”… This in turn ruffled the feathers of members in Nationwide Tea Party Coalition; and the anger-inducing Kool-Aid was thus passed out for the national media circus.

As explained by Joe Quesada, this wasn’t an intentional jab at a political entity, rather, it was a simple mistake. As the books’ deadline loomed, the editor noted missing slogans on the final press ready art. Marvel asked the letterer to quickly photoshop in some slogans to make it in before deadline. Quickly googling protest signs to add a ‘layer of reality’ to the book led to the aforementioned slogans being dumped into the artwork, which was quickly green-lit for the presses. When the error was eventually caught, Marvel apologized, and fixed the art files; ensuring reprints of the issue, as well the eventual printing of the trade paperback, would not perpetuate the mistake. This of course did not stop ‘Tea Drinker’ Warner Todd Huston from starting a flame war. Of course it didn’t.

But, gentle Comicmixers… this begs the question to be asked. While both Ed Brubaker and Marvel Comics have made it clear they opt to stay away from being overtly political in their books… what if they decided not to be. Comic books, especially of the Marvel or DC sort, are fiction. Doesn’t fiction (even starring widely recognized figures like Captain America and Superman) have the right to be as political as they want to be? While Joey Q. made the admission of guilt, and has done his job to quell the issues raised by the Hulk-like Tea Party Gang… What could they do, if the next issue did feature the Tea Party? What it Sam Wilson decided to join the Black Panthers? What if Bucky decided he was a Socialist (I mean they did save his butt from obliteration, no?)… The question really is: what right does any group have to say when it comes to works of fiction, comic or not?

Consider this an invitation to tell us how you feel.

2008 Lucca Winners

The 2008 Lucca Festival, Italy’s foremost festival of the arts, announced their annual awards. Courtesy of The Comics Reporter

* Miglior Storia Lunga (Best Long Story): Rughe, Paco Roca
* Miglior Storia Breve (Best Short Story): "L’appuntamento," Koren Shadmi
* Miglior Storia Seriale (Best Serialized Story: Criminal, Ed Brubaker and Sean Philips
* Miglior Disegnatore (Best Artist): Massimo Carnevale
* Miglior Sceneggiatore (Best Writer, Career): Diego Cajelli
* Miglior Autore Unico (Best Writer, Single Work): Marco Corona
* Premio Stefano Beani per la Miglior Iniziativa Editoriale (The Stefano Beani Award For Best Editorial Initiative): Torpedo (Edizioni BD)
* Maestro del Fumetto (Master Of Comics): Vittorio Giardino
* Menzione Speciale (Special Mention): The EC Comics Reprints from 001 Edizioni

Review: ‘The Dead Boy Detectives’ by Bryan Talbot and Ed Brubaker

deadboy-3368922By my count, there are four good reasons to buy [[[The Sandman Presents: The Dead Boy Detectives]]], now out from Vertigo.

First, it’s cheap, at a slight $12.99 for some 100 pages of comics.

Second, it’s a heckuva good mystery yarn with plenty of occult elements.

Third, it’s part of The Sandman world, and there are plenty of readers who snap up anything associated with Neil Gaiman’s creation.

But the last — and, for me, best — reason to pick up the book is that it further illustrates Ed Brubaker’s dexterity as a writer. I’ve long said that the thing that makes him so talented is that if his name wasn’t on the cover of his comics, you wouldn’t be able to recognize him as the author (also, his books are all quite good).

Unlike a Grant Morrison, Warren Ellis or Brian Michael Bendis, Brubaker writes comics without stamping his voice all over them. And, in [[[The Dead Boy Detectives]]], he shows off a wholly new voice, slipping seamlessly into the world of the ghostly boy sleuths and their London setting.

Like all great P.I. stories, this one begins with a girl, then gets all weird with shriveled dead bodies, witches and immortal creeps. It’s not quite unpredictable yet manages to be surprising.

But, mostly, the great characterization of ghosts Charles and Edwin and their childish interplay is what makes this one a winner. Well, that and the other reasons listed above.


Van Jensen is a former crime reporter turned comic book journalist. Every Wednesday, he braves Atlanta traffic to visit Oxford Comics, where he reads a whole mess of books for his weekly Reviews. Van’s blog can be found at graphicfiction.wordpress.com.

Publishers who would like their books to be reviewed at ComicMix should contact ComicMix through the usual channels or email Van Jensen directly at van (dot) jensen (at) comicmix (dot) com.

Tom Cruise Considers “Sleeper” Adaptation

The Hollywood Reporter recently indicated that Tom Cruise has taken a fancy to Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips’ gritty superhero-noir series Sleeper, and seems inclined to set the adaptation project up at Warner Bros. with Sam Raimi tagged as producer. Cruise has been "loosely" attached to star in the big-screen version of the DC/Wildstorm title, which was one of the more adult-fare comics to come out of the publisher in recent years.

However, with all of the hub-bub surrounding the Warner Bros. adaptation of Watchmen these days, THR reports that the studio is being meticulous with its pursuit of the rights to Sleeper.

Even if Cruise opts not to do "Sleeper," his interest in the project is propelling it forward, despite complicated rights issues that must be sorted out. Raimi and Donen have long been fans of the book, and the project could have found homes at Sony and Regency if those issues hadn’t been so complex.

"Sleeper" takes place in the same publishing universe as other Wildstorm books, and integrally featured characters from the company’s flagship title "WildC.A.T.s" as well as characters from another book, "Gen 13."

Here’s an aspect of the story that’s also of note — apparently, Sleeper isn’t the only Wildstorm title being considered for adaptation:

Both "WildC.A.T.s" and "Gen 13" had been set up at different places around town and some of those deals were made before DC bought the imprint in 1999.

It’s a tangled web for sure, but of all the series being optioned lately, this one seems like an entirely viable story for the big screen. Although one has to wonder whether they’ll tone down the high level of violence and sexual themes in the story… and if so, will it still pack the punch that made it a favorite of so many readers (including myself)?